Eek-a snake in the house!!

I remember our kids caught some snakes once and my wife wasn't aware they were traveling with us.  One got loose in the car, and she  had a fit and made someone else come get her and drive her home.  Bottom line, i found the snake in the trunk a month later under a bag of mulch.  She didn't ride in that car for the whole month. 

sl2crmeg

He called it a black....racer? Maybe?

That would be the second picture.  Yes black snake or a racer.  There is one type of them that is common to the area around the Cape.  Have to check though as cotton mouths also can look mostly black and they live around and in water. (first picture).

Just being a nerdy biologist here but, snakes are not poisonous, they are VENOMOUS.  To be poisonous means that you'd have to eat them to get sick.

There were a few pretty big (3-5'?) black snakes that frequented the barns where I rode in VA. I never minded them - they were non-poisonous and kept the mouse population down. Not that I'd go up and pet them, but they didn't bother me.

In fact, my biggest driving regret is running over a HUGE black snake in VA. I was a new driver going down a barely-paved, tree-lined country road, and didn't realize that the huge black thing stretching all the way across the road was, in fact, a snake and not the shadow of a tree. I felt absolutely sick when I heard the thump-thump that told me I had run him over - my dad was in the car with me, but hadn't said anything because he didn't want me to panic and crash or something. I'm still not sure what I could have done - would I have been brave enough to get out and try to move the darn thing? - but it was truly magnificent - probably 6 feet or so long - and I shudder to think what happened to it after I squished it.  

swamper

snake are not poisonous, they are VENOMOUS.

Thanks, I knew that but I guess I was just being lazy in my definitions.

My friend called tonight...from a hotel room. She said her husband looked everywhere and couldn't find it and she just couldn't go in the house. She had him pack up what she needed and she's spending the night in an inexpensive hotel. I feel really awful now for making light of this. She's tired and her previously injured back is hurting badly after all she's been thru today. I wish I could magically wisk her here to my home for a good nights sleep. Her plan for tomorrow is to find a company that will go in and find the snake, assuming it's still in the house. I truly hope they can find it so she can get some relief.

that would be me ... I either get mad or phobic.

A friend of mine was at a garage sale (right here in good old Orlando) checking out cheap kiddie toys.  Bunch of kids playing ... and right in the middle of all of it my friend saw a coral snake.  Just a bitty one (maybe 7 inches long) about 2 feet from the kids.

She saw an empty acquarium, picked it up and just walked over and upended it over the snake.  THEN she said "Coral snake folks -- get your kids away from this acquarium"

 Some grateful mothers for sure.  But it could be a little glass snake for all me -- would still do the same thing to me.  Panic & anger.  (who am I angry at?  The snake for inhabiting my air space?  Or me for getting so weird??)

 I must be the only weird snake person here.  I would be SO excited to see a coral snake!  I have a breeding pair of Mexican Milksnakes which have the same colors, but red touching black.  I also have a Kenyan Sand Boa, shes my FAVORITE.  I will probably be getting a male Sand Boa for her soon too.  The good thing about Coral Snakes is that they prefer not to bite.  They would much rather just try to get away from you.  They also have TINY fangs, so they can't really bite through clothing like some snakes.  Instead of killing these snakes, you guys just start taking pictures of them for me!  LOL

ColleenC you're not alone, .. I really like snakes as well. They do make great pets, IMHO. I reeeaallly want a Albino Burmese Python. However I think they would get too large for me to give one a proper enclosure.. so perhaps I'll stick with ball pythons or cornsnakes. I used to have a cornsnake that was around 6 feet. She was a really nice snake, really enjoyed coming to the store wrapped around my neck.

cakana

My friend called tonight...from a hotel room.

OK I was making it through this thread without bursting out in laughter but that got me LOL

I have always been fascinated by snakes and think they are pretty cool so I cannot share some of your fear.  My DH though is terrified, cracks my butt up.  Big tough detective --ooh its a snake aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

I have taught him the ones to stay away from and consistently have to convince him that black snakes are good.  We get some big ones in and around the pines.  Bigger concern is Bugsy as anything that moves is worth catching and he has brought us snakes, one was a dead copperhead  

Snakes freak me out totally, but the garden snakes I can live with. I try to stay as far away as possible from them, but I can deal.

We got a good scare last year when we were hiking with Salem. We saw a huge timber rattlesnake! Well, I should say we heard it before we saw it. It was so loud, and Salem was barking and growling at it. We couldn't even enjoy the rest of the walk. I've never been so scared of an animal, and I have seen black bears on walks before too. I won't even walk there anymore unless it is during the winter, because we saw a baby rattler not to long after that incident. That one at least was just trying to get away from us and wasn't as threatening. People aren't very likely to die from a rattlesnake bite, but I worry about the dogs.

I find snakes fascinating, but (1) I don't like surprises and (2) definitely not in my kitchen.

I was riding in the forest in FL and my horse suddenly stopped on the trail.  I got off to check him out, then saw the snake stretched out in front of us.  LOL, I sat there looking at him for 5 minutes.  Corn snake, I'd never seen one before.  Neat.

However, last month I was riding in the same forest when just to my right, a very large black snake just dropped from above out of a tree.  Really.  Snakes raining from the sky.  I spent the next 10 minutes watching for snakes falling out of the trees on me. 

I think snakes are beautiful creatures and I am not all all scared of them.  I would own them, but they like to eat rodents, which are also some things I like.

Anyways, we had a snake for a while.  He war around four feet long.  This was before I had any pets except for my tortoise(Tori) and dog.  So, the snake's tank broke, and  Tori was outside for the summer so they put it in Tori's cage in my room.  It had a top, but somehow the snake opened it and escaped in my room.  He ran around in there for two days before we caught him.  I was never scared and slept as soundly as always.  The thing about snakes, is that they can curl up in the smallest of places.  Our snake's favorite place was a box a little smaller than a pencil sharpener.  And this snake was four feet long, so imagine how small a space a 6 inch snake can curl up in,

rwbeagles

gradyupmybutt

A little 6 inch snake?

 

It takes a whole lot more than 6 inches to frighten me.

And no, NO comments are allowed about that LMBO.

I think you supplied them yourself... 

yanke

  Bottom line, i found the snake in the trunk a month later under a bag of mulch.  She didn't ride in that car for the whole month. 

 Like Callie posted earlier --- how can I love every other critter, but not like snakes?  As I heard a comedian say once, the fact that they have no legs yet they can move just personifies evil and creepiness!  Callie, as awful as your experience was with the snake in your yard, I had to laugh at the image of you with the broom.  I would've just been frozen in fear I think!